Around the World in 80 Days, which will run at the St. James Theatre from 26th November 2015 to 17th January 2016. Leading the cast in the role of Phileas Fogg will be Robert Portal, who, in challenges reminiscent of Fogg’s own quest, has rowed 3000 miles across the Atlantic in The Talisker Whisky Challenge and took part in the Marathon des Sables, running over 150 miles of the Sahara Desert in six days, raising money for charity on both occasions.

Simon Gregor will play Passepartout, with Tony Gardner as Inspector Fix, Shanaya Rafaat as Mrs Aouda and Eben Figueiredo and Tim Steed in the ensemble. The final two ensemble members are to be announced in due course.

The production will be directed by Lucy Bailey and composed by Django Bates, as previously announced. Set design is by Anna Fleischle (Hangmen, Royal Court Theatre), lighting by Chris Davey and sound by Mic Pool. The producers are Simon Friend Entertainment, St. James Theatre Productions and Ros Povey Productions.

Robert Portal’s recent theatre credits include Communicating Doors (Menier Chocolate Factory), Grand Guignol (Theatre Royal Plymouth), This Was a Man (Finborough Theatre), A Little Hotel On The Side (Theatre Royal Bath), The Doctor’s Dilemma (National Theatre), Henry IV, The Rivals, The Transit of Venus, Loves Labours Lost and The Merchant of Venice (all RSC). His film credits include Iron Lady (Pathe), Mr Turner (Thin Man Films), The King’s Speech (SeeSaw Films) and My Week With Marilyn (Trademark Films).

Simon Gregor previously worked with director Lucy Bailey on King Lear (Theatre Royal Bath) and The Taming of the Shrew (RSC). Other theatre credits include: Things We Do For Love (Theatre Royal Bath), American Psycho (Almeida Theatre), To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Uncle Vanya (Belgrade Theatre Ltd), The Miser (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester), The 39 Steps (Tricycle Theatre) and The Late Henry Moss (Almeida Theatre). Simon also played the role of Moustache in the film Welcome to the Punch, directed by Eran Creevy. Other film credits include The Statement (Odessa Films), Bodywork (Automatic Films), Last Seduction II (Specific Films) and The Island on Bird Street(M & M Prods). Television credits include Ripper Street, Da Vinci’s Demons and Doctor Who.

Tony Gardner’s theatre credits include The Rivals (Theatre Royal Bath, tour and Theatre Royal Haymarket), Bedroom Farce (Rose Theatre and Duke of Yorks) and When There’s a Will (English Touring Theatre). Television credits include The Tracey Ullman Show, Fresh Meat, Last Tango in Halifax, My Parents are Aliens, Bremner Bird & Fortune, The Thick of It, Lenny Henry in Pieces, Cold Feet, The Armstrong and Miller Show, Lee Evans – So What Now and Drop The Dead Donkey. Film credits include Cockneys Vs Zombies and Mad, Sad and Bad.

Shanaya Rafaat’s recent theatre productions include King Lear (Shakepeare’s Globe & Tour), Twelfth Night (CustomPractice), The Illusion (Southwark Playhouse), The Malcontent (White Bear Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC & World Tour). She has also featured in the television shows Dr Who (BBC), Lewis (ITV) and Silk II (BBC). Films include Schadenfreude (Simon Pickup), Honeycomb Lodge (Honeycomb Lodge Ltd), and Complicit (Many Rivers Complicit Ltd).

Eben Figueiredo’s recent theatre productions include 15, 16, 17 (Old Vic New Voices), Peter Pan (Regents Park Theatre) and Pitcairn (Chichester/ Out of Joint). Other productions include Courting Drama (Theatre Reneegade), The Suit (The Young Vic), East End Girls and Dream Girls (Italia Conti).Eben has also worked on a wide variety of National Youth Theatre productions including Speakers House Event, Matt Smith Project, Social Inclusion Project, Olympic Welcoming Ceremony and Diana Bliss Tribute.

Tim Steed’s theatre credits include The Crucible (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Merchant of Venice (Almeida), Hero (Royal Court), Rocket to the Moon (National Theatre), Salome (Headlong), Much Ado About Nothing (Open Air Theatre), Pride (Royal Court) Oliver (Edinburgh NYT) and An Inspector Calls (Garrick Theatre). Television credits include Wolf Hall, The Great Fire, Fresh Meat, London Irish, Twenty Twelve and Peep Show. On film, Tim has appeared in The Imitation Game, Franklyn and Dark Ride/D.O.D.

The majestically mysterious, fabulously wealthy Phileas Fogg wagers his life’s fortune that he can circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days. Join Fogg and his loyal valet, Passepartout, as they voyage from the misty alleys of Victorian London to the exotic subcontinent and the wild west in a race against the clock. A cast of eight play more than 100 characters in this high-spirited, imagination-filled escapade for all the family.

 

LISTINGS
St. James Theatre
12 Palace Street, London SW1E 5JA
Box Office: 0844 264 2140
www.stjamestheatre.co.uk
Dates: Thursday 26 November 2015 – Sunday 17 January 2016

Theatre Royal Stratford East plays host to Big Time! In Concert, which is a joyful celebration of the life and work of the maestro of British musicals and pop music, Lionel Bart, for three performances only this October, 2015.

Big Time! In Concert charts Lionel’s life from childhood to his first forays into song writing, on to his time with Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop Company and subsequent West End successes and failures. Best known for writing Oliver!, he was the first British songwriter to have success in the American charts penning hits for Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, Shirley Bassey, Anthony Newley, Adam Faith and a host of others, as well as being the original manager of The Rolling Stones.

For some time, Theatre Royal Stratford East was his home where he worked with Joan Littlewood creating the classic Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be. By 1964 he had gone on to have an unprecedented 5 West End hit shows. However by the mid-1960s Bart’s excessive lifestyle combined with drug and alcohol addiction saw his first failure and decline into obscurity. He re-emerged when Cliff Richard and the Young Ones had chart success with Livin’ Doll in 1986 and also won a Lifetime Achievement Ivor Novello award that same year.

Come (transferring to the West End and North American tour) and the Olivier nominated The Big Life.

This joyful production is set to a playlist of classic Bart songs including I’d do Anything, Do you Mind, Livin’ Doll, Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be and Consider Yourself among many others.

The cast includes BAFTA award winner Jessica Hynes (Spaced, The Royle Family, W1A, The Norman Conquests) Neil McDermott (EastEnders, Shrek, The Sound of Music), Lee Ryan (Blue), Sonny Jay (Loveable Rogues), Tony Howes, David Charkham and 60’s music and theatre star Grazina Frame (Every Day’s a Holiday, Blitz!). Accompanied by a 14 piece orchestra, Big Time! is a concert framing of the extraordinary life and work of Lionel Bart featuring 27 songs including familiar classics and unheard gems.

Theatre Royal Stratford East is one of the most prolific developers and producers of new musical theatre in the UK, with its work transferring nationally and internationally. Musicals brought to stage over the last ten years include The Infidel The Musical, the UK Theatre Award-nominated Glasgow Girls and West End transfers The Harder They Come and Olivier nominated The Big Life, which was the first black British musical to transfer to the West End.
Running time: approximately 2 hours 15 minutes (including interval)

Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN

LAST CHANCE TO SEE ORESTEIA AT TRAFALGAR STUDIOS

Universally critically acclaimed production has final performance on November 7th

Cast includes Lia Williams, Angus Wright and Jessica Brown Findlay

Robert Icke’s visceral adaptation has been hailed as the theatrical event of the year

There are just four more weeks for audiences to catch the Almeida Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Oresteia, by Aeschylus.  The production, re-imagined for the modern stage by Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke (The Fever, Mr Burns, 1984), transferred to Trafalgar Studios in August, following a sold-out run at the Almeida Theatre.

Robert Icke’s Oresteia has been heralded as one of the theatre events of the year, creating a style of theatre-going that is the theatrical equivalent of binge-watching – audiences continue to be captivated by the epic and mesmeric style of the production. The contemporary relevance and prescience of the classic piece is brought sharply to life in Icke’s bold and immediate production. The cast at Trafalgar Studios includes Lorna Brown, Jessica Brown Findlay, AnnieFirbank, Joshua Higgott, Luke Thompson, Jonathan McGuinness, Oliver Ryan, Luke Thompson, Lia Williams, Angus Wright and Hara Yannas.

Orestes’ parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus’ greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done – and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written.

Oresteia opened at the Almeida in June 2015 to public and critical acclaim, as the inaugural production in the theatre’s Almeida Greeks season.

Oresteia is directed by Robert Icke, designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with light by Natasha Chivers, sound by Tom Gibbons and video by Tim Reid. Casting is by Julia Horan CDG.

Robert Icke is the Almeida’s Associate Director, where his new version of Uncle Vanya will premiere in February 2016, he most recently directed The Iliad, The Fever and Mr Burns. Other Almeida credits include 1984, a co-production with Headlong and Nottingham Playhouse co-created with Duncan Macmillan, for which he won the 2014 UK Theatre Award.  Robert was previously Associate Director at Headlong.

The transfer of Oresteia is produced by Almeida Theatre, Sonia Friedman Productions and Ambassador Theatre Group.

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

ORESTEIA
by Aeschylus
A new adaptation by Robert Icke
Directed by Robert Icke

August 22nd – November 7th
Final performance November 7th
Mon – Sat at 7pm
Thu and Sat Matinees at 1pm

Trafalgar Studios
14 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DY

Standard ticket prices £29.50 – £49.50.

Premium tickets also available.

Book online www.atgtickets.com/trafalgarstudios
Phone: 0844 871 7632
Groups 0844 871 7644
Access 0844 871 7677
Ticketmaster (24 hour booking line) 0844 847 2345
Or in person at the box office

Book online www.almeida.co.uk
Phone: 020 7359 4404 (10am – 6pm)
Or in person at the box office (Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London, N1 1TA)

 

MOSCOW STATE CIRCUS

Zhelaniy – an awe inspiring new show

A place where wishes become reality

Grand opera house York

Wednesday 2 March at 7:30pm

 

The Moscow State Circus returns to the UK with its latest & greatest production to date,  based on the Russian folklore story of Cvetik-Semicvetik, or “the flower with seven colours ” by Valentin Petrovich Katayev where each of the petals represent a wish and is the perfect back drop for what is undoubtedly the greatest & most famous circus on earth.

Professor Wacko & his crazy side kick Natalia Mezentceva invite’s the audience to a wondrous & mysterious enchanted garden, a place where dreams come true and a place to see magnificent feats of human achievement, the like of which have never been witnessed in Great Britain before.

As our Loveable Buffoons guide us through this tantalising tale, granting wishes to the beautiful Kushka Veslovskiy who plays Zhenya,  surrounded by a multitude of flying, back flipping, juggling, wire walking & roller-skating performers

Tickets: £17.25 – £27.25

Box Office: 0844 871 3024

Online Booking: www.atgtickets.com/york

SHEFFIELD THEATRES TO HOST REGULAR DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY TEA DANCES

Sheffield Theatres and Sheffield Dementia Action Alliance have announced that they are hosting a series of free Dementia Friendly Tea Dances in the Crucible.

 

The Dementia Friendly Tea Dances will take place once every month in the Crucible.  Open to people living with dementia, their families, friends and carers, the dances offer a friendly, informal and easily accessible environment, where everyone can enjoy a dance, a chat and a cream tea.

Beginning on Tuesday 13 October at 1.30pm, Sheffield vocalist Russell Elliot will take guests on a trip down memory lane with his repertoire of familiar songs from musical theatre and beyond, encouraging guests to join him in a good old-fashioned sing-a-long.  Singer Susan St Nicholas will be entertaining guests on alternate weeks.

Claire Murray, Communications & Fundraising Director said: “The comments that we received from our first Dementia Friendly Tea Dance were wonderful. It was fantastic to welcome so many people through our doors for this special event. Our relationship with Sheffield Dementia Action Alliance is important to us. Dementia affects so many people in our communities and through events of this kind we hope that we can increase awareness and understanding of this condition.” 

The first Dementia Friendly Tea Dance will take place on Tuesday 13 October from 1.30 -3.30pm, further dances then take place on Tuesday 17 November, 29 December, 12 January, 9 February and 8 March.  Places are free although booking is recommended. Please call visitSheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, call us on 0114 249 6000 or book online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

 

Don’t miss out on our Performance and Technical Support for Events Student Showcase: ‘Hopes, Dreams and Aspirations’.

Performances are taking place on Wednesday 21st and Thursday 22nd October at 7pm at the Dolphin Centre, Darlington.

Tickets: £3 each. These are available to buy from the college reception on Thursday from 9am – 12 noon this week and next Wednesday/Thursday 9am – 12 noon. Also available to purchase online at:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/darlingtoncollege

QUEST TO AIR BRITISH TV PREMIERE OF FEATURE LENGTH FILM “I AM ALI”

“Lewins’ film provides all the evidence needed to convince doubters – if there are any – that Ali transcends his sport and remains, indisputably, the greatest personality in boxing history”

The Independent

 

“The word ‘icon’ is overused but as this charming Muhammad Ali portrait shows,

occasionally it’s utterly warranted”

Empire

 

TX: Friday November 6^th, 9pm, exclusively on Quest

This November, and for the first time on British TV screens, Quest will premiere the intimate and heart-warming portrait of arguably one of the greatest American legends of our time – Muhammad Ali.

 

“I Am Ali”, the much lauded documentary film previously only available on limited cinema release, is told through exclusive, unprecedented access to Ali’s personal archive of ‘audio journals’ combined with touching interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends, including his daughters, sons, ex-wife and brother, his late trainer Angelo Dundee, plus legends of the boxing community including Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Marvin Frazier, son of Joe and long-time business manager Gene Kilroy.

 

Boxing legend, African American hero and beloved father, Muhammad Ali, now 72 and suffering from the debilitating Parkinson’s disease, Ali’s story is told from the inside for the very first time.

The film presents a heart-warming narrative around never-heard before tape recordings from the legend himself, mostly made in the late 1970s, in which the champion speaks to his children, playfully, affectionately, and assures them such “audio journals” will one day be part of history.

 

“I Am Ali” is ultimately the story of Cassius Clay to a modern cultural icon : from his birth and boxing beginnings in Louisville, Kentucky to gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics; from beating Henry Cooper at Wembley to beating Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world; from changing his religion and his name to going into exile after refusing the draft for Vietnam. It is the story of Muhammad Ali’s great 1970s fights, the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman in Zaire and the Thriller in Manilla against the mighty Joe Frazier. It is the story of his final bout at 39, a defeat by Trevor Berbick in the Bahamas. It is, briefly, the story of his life after the ring.

 

“I Am Ali” is a Fisheye Films production, written, produced and directed by British film maker Clare Lewins, and co-produced by George Chignell and Greg Hobden.

 

PRINCIPAL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

LORD OF THE DANCE: DANGEROUS GAMES

AT LONDON’S PLAYHOUSE THEATRE

The principal cast for Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games at London’s Playhouse Theatre has been announced. The role of the Lord of the Dance will be played by James Keegan, Morgan Comer and brothers Cathal and Fergal Keaney, who have all been hand-picked and directed by Michael Flatley.  All four have won multiple World Irish Dancing Championship titles. Sophie Evans and Rachael O’Connor will share the role of Erin the Goddess.

Sophie Evans was runner-up on the hugely popular BBC series Over the Rainbow in 2010, and was subsequently chosen by Andrew Lloyd Webber to don the legendary ruby slippers and play the alternate Dorothy in selected performances of The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium in 2011.  Sophie took over the role full time from February to September 2012.  She has most recently starred in You Won’t Succeed on Broadway If You Don’t Have Any Jews at St. James Theatre. 

Rachael O’Connor came to the nation’s attention after becoming the last girl standing in Kylie Minogue’s team on series 3 of The Voice UK on BBC One. Rachael made her West End debut in Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games at the London Palladium in 2014.

 

Flatley’s latest show Dangerous Games has exciting and ground-breaking new technology, including holographs, special effects lighting, dancing robots, world champion acrobats and the greatest team of Irish Dancers in the world.  The score is composed by Gerard Fahy.

 

For further details, please visit www.lordofthedance.com.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

10 October 2015 to 3 January 2016

The Panto came early to Harrowgate Hill Primary School in Darlington with a special educational Roadshow.

IT’S BEHIND YOU!

A Pantomime Roadshow was held at Harrowgate Hill Primary School in preparation for Cinderella at Darlington Civic Theatre from Saturday 5 December to Sunday 10 January.

This special Panto Roadshow tours schools with an educational programme introducing children to the magic of live theatre and especially Pantomime. Run by Nigel Allacott the session was aimed at Key Stage Two Primary children and offered what may be the first experience of theatre to pupils in a comedy performance that was both entertaining and educational.

Nigel said “The aim in touring these roadshows is to encourage children to make that first contact with their local theatre, and to entertain and educate them in the history, traditions and enjoyment that can be gained by doing so. This is, after all the audience of the future”.

The first part of the show involved a comedy and interactive performance lasting 40 minutes, and after a short break the second part involved showing the children costumes and props from actual productions, allowing some children and staff to dress up in various costumes, and ended with a lively question and answer session.

Cinderella is at Darlington Civic Theatre from Saturday 5 December to Sunday 10 January.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

The Barbican have announced their full January to July 2016 programme.

Katie Mitchell will bring her Schaubuhne Berlin production of The Forbidden Zone to London for its UK premiere (26-29 May). The play is a female perspective on war and the advance of chemical weapons.

Another UK premiere will be the new Robert Lepage production of Needles and Opium, inspired by the lives of Jean Cocteau and Miles Davis, which is directed by the French-Canadian theatre maestro (7-16 July).

French film actress Isabelle Huppert will also appear in the new season in a production of Phaedra(s) directed by Polish auteur Krzysztof Warlikowski (9-18 June). The piece is a co-production between the Barbican and LIFT 2016 and draws on the writings of Sarah Kane, Wajdi Mouawad and JM Coetzee.

Maverick theatre company Forced Entertainment will also bring their epic undertakingComplete Works to the Barbican (1-6 March). The piece involves all 36 of Shakespeare’s plays being performed in condensed form, using only everyday objects as a cast.

It will also be the first time that New York company Split Britches will appear at the theatre. Actor and writer Peggy Shaw will perform her piece Ruff which looks at life before and after a stroke (14-16 April).

The Shadow King is a UK premiere from Australian company Malthouse. The piece reimagines King Lear as a tale of two indigenous families (22 June – 2 July). Michael Kantor directs the piece, and Tom E Lewis leads the cast.

Alongside these are the previously announced The Encounter by Simon McBurney, and Kings of War by Toneelgroep Amsterdam.

Tickets for the productions (unless specified) are available to Barbican Members Plus from today, to Barbican Members on Monday 12 October and on general sale from Thursday 15 October.